Iowa cops find their bulletproof vests may be faulty

The Iowa Attorney General’s office is offering its help to Iowa law officers who are wearing bulletproof vests marketed by a Michigan company that contain “zylon.” Attorney General Tom Miller says the vests don’t last as long as the company claimed.An officer was shot in suburban Pittsburgh through one of the vests after he’s used it for about a year. Miller says the useful life of a vest is supposed to be about four years and while the officer did not die from his wounds, the failure of his bulletproof vest was a wake-up call for everybody. Miller says “Second Chance Body Armor” isn’t offering enough to officers who want a new vest, more padding for their current vest or a refund, so his office is offering to help any Iowa law enforcement officer get. Miller says the company should be offering a full refund rather than credit toward the purchase of a new vest. Miller estimates as many as 300 Iowa law officers are using the vests with “zylon.” Des Moines police sergeant Todd Dykstra wears one of the now-suspect vests.Dykstra says the advantage of the new-style vest was that the “zylon” made it much lighter and wasn’t as heavy or restrictive as the older bullet-proof vests. The fiber breaks down over time, and that’s why there’s a life-span for a vest’s use. Dykstra wants a new vest.Dykstra says the uncertainty’s there and the thought that the vest he’s wearing won’t protect him from a bullet. Des Moines police chief Bill McCarthy says the company’s offering different deals to different departments, and that’s why he is glad the Attorney General’s gotten involved. McCarthy says it’s serious business, life and death for some, and there are questions about when the company knew its fiber wasn’t as long-lasting as advertised.